Officials investigate fatal workplace accident

Some people in Massachusetts and elsewhere knowingly take risks in their lives that could jeopardize their personal safety as well as the safety of others around them. Unfortunately, there are also some victims who are completely powerless to prevent or avoid a potential danger. Such appears to be the case in a recent out-of-state workplace accident that resulted in the death of a female construction worker.

Police say that a 50-year-old female employee was discovered dead on a construction site. Preliminary reports indicate that other workers were hammering steel beams into the ground using a crane. Unfortunately, a beam is believed to have slipped from its clamp, causing it to fall.

The beam reportedly struck the back of the woman’s head. The accident is currently under investigation by the New York State Police as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. If OSHA determines that workplace standards were violated leading to the accident, the company could face citations as well as fines.

While OSHA standards can provide some protections to employees in the workforce, they are unable to remove all risk of a workplace accident. As a result, Massachusetts requires employers to provide workers’ compensation insurance benefits to employees in the event of an accident. These events can help provide for medical bills and the loss of wages. In the case of a fatality, benefits typically extend to dependent family members in addition to covering funeral expenses. In order to ensure fair and efficient compensation, many people seek to guidance of an experienced attorney to guide them through the compensation process.

Source: stargazette.com, “UPDATED: Construction worker dies in Hammondsport accident“, Dave Bohrer, June 2, 2015